To one who would become a perfect player, it does not suffice only to take lessons from the master, but it is necessary that he seek daily to play with diverse players, and being able to do so, he must always practice with those who know more than he, because the player with such practiced wits will become most perfect in this virtue.— Ridolfo CapoFerro

Meta

Time, distance, and speed are all intricately interconnected in fencing. It is impossible to work on one of these elements in complete isolation. For the purposes of this article, though, I will be focusing on time (tempo). Tempo can be understood in a number of ways in fencing. It is often described as being analogous to “rhythm,” like watching two dancers moving in harmony. Alternately, sometimes the emphasis is placed on the way tempo can be thought of as a measure of movement (one movement equals one tempo, two movements, two tempi, etc…). Tempo is also often reduced to speed (I must have a faster tempo than my opponent to succeed). However, these explanations of tempo each present only part of the picture. The broader concept of tempo is primarily about determining the best moment to make an attack. Rhythm is an aspect of tempo because detecting (or forcing) a rhythm in the opponent’s movements makes it easier catch her off guard with an attack. Similarly, quantifying each movement as a tempo reminds us that every action a fencer makes is potentially an opportunity for an opponent to strike, and that complicated, longer actions provide more opportunities for a successful attack. Speed reminds us that we must be quick in order to successfully seize those opportunities. Tempo encompasses all of these concepts and can be summed up by the question “When is it time to go?” From a historical perspective, there are a number of articles, such as Tom Leoni’s […]